


Pity Party

by TwistedViolets



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Light Angst, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Vanya Hargreeves-centric, eating cake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-22 05:33:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20868992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwistedViolets/pseuds/TwistedViolets
Summary: The vanilla cake sat on the table covered in buttercream icing. It is ordinary in everyway, a simple formality. Seven candles glow, not representing age but the number of children who share this special day.Grace smiles, tells them to just wait another moment, their father will be there soon. They smile back, anticipation lacing its way into their hearts. They’ve never celebrated a birthday like this before.Like most things, it sounded too good to be true.





	Pity Party

**Author's Note:**

> Am I late to the birthday party? Yes, yes I am. This was originally going to be less angsty but hey, what can you do.

Vanya smiles to herself more than anyone else. At her spot at the table, her back warming from the roar of a fire and the sweet smell of a freshly baked cake filling her nostrils. She starts to salivate, she can't help it really. 

It's been so long since she's had something with actual flavor to eat.

Her mother holds a lighter and flicks it a few times until it starts. She lights all of the candles one by one until seven yellow flames flicker on top of the buttercream icing that hides a vanilla cake underneath.

It may be ordinary, a run of the mill cake, but it's the first one they've ever received. She's thirteen, her siblings are thirteen, it's their first birthday they are considered teens.

It is a special birthday.

Her mother sets the lighter down and pulls out the end chair. "Your father will be here soon," she says, her voice a sweet melody as Ben flips a page in his book. 

She looks to Klaus, who looks at the cake the way she looks at it, like it's just so delicious. He's already anticipating the taste, it'll be good there's no doubt, after all their mother poured her heart and soul into it.

Luther and Allison whisper, she doesn't hear what they say but they look nice, relaxed. Allison has her hair pulled up, and she's wearing a clip in her hair, one she earned from 'doing a good job' and not because it's her birthday.

They rarely got birthday gifts unless it was something useless or not important to them. One year her father got her dominos and she still hasn't used them. If someone wanted to play with her, maybe she would.

Diego scratches a blade into his chair, it's a nice sound for the most part, although sometimes it's like nails on a chalkboard, making her shutter. Today it's nice, he's relaxed, leaning back and a small smile on his lips.

Five smooths his collar as he gives her a glance. "What?" He says to her and she shakes her head it's nothing.

Nothing at all.

She just likes to people watch.

————————————————————

It's cold, the fire behind her is dying and now the room has become eerie instead of welcoming. She shares a look with her siblings, they've lost their smiles and their eyes tell her what she needs to know.

Her father isn't coming.

Her mother doesn't say anything as she begins to cut the cake, slow, and deliberate cuts. She cuts seven pieces, all identical before handing them out. 

As her mother hands hers to her, she smiles. "Happy birthday sweethearts," she says, gesturing to them all, "you've all grown up so much...I'm proud of you. Your father is proud of you, it's a shame he couldn't be here today but he's a busy man." Nobody says a word so she continues, "You may now eat."

She takes a bite, it tastes just as good as she imagined although it's a bit cold now. Sweet icing melts across her tongue and she looks at her father's empty chair.

Her heart constricts in the wrong ways.

Why couldn't he come? Was he really busy? Or could he not bother himself with them?

A sour taste fills her mouth so she takes another bite to ease it.

"This is depressing," Klaus mutters before stuffing a big piece of cake in his mouth, he chews slowly as he presses his head into his hand.

"Yeah," Diego sighs, tapping his fork against his cake softly.

"The cake tastes good mom," Allison smiles as she speaks to their mother.

"Thank you."

"It was too much to hope for," Five said taking small bites of his cake as he chews slowly. "As if dad could take time out of his 'busy' schedule for us."

"He is busy," Luther says back defensively and Five rolls his eyes as he looks away.

She takes another bite as the fire behind her dies out.

Ben flips a page in his book, eating small bites to avoid accidentally dropping a crumb on his book.

It's just another birthday, nothing to spend the rest of her life being upset about even though it crushes her heart into a billion pieces inside her chest.


End file.
